"Education for Global Responsibility" is a cross field Strategic Partnership with a special focus on school education. The strategic Partnership aims mainstreaming GRE in schools and youth NGOs in the partners' countries. The need of the Strategic partnership comes from the partners believe that education plays a central role in achieving headline targets of the Europe 2020 Strategy. In particular, the partners see a need of engaging each individual to contribute to the development of communities, countries, and regions as well as of educational systems, able to raise awareness of young citizens upon the necessity for global understanding, respect and responsibility. More specifically, the partners see a need of Global Responsible Education (GRE), both in formal and non formal sectors and a need of making this concept attractive for educational providers. Starting from the need of making GRE attractive for educational providers, the partners foresee to develop a certification system and the "Global Responsible" label, awarded to those institutions (schools and youth organizations) that adopt an additional learning curriculum with learning objectives in Global Responsibility, prove motivation and have a clear strategy to promote GRE, as well as adopt specific Global Responsible routines. In each of the partner countries will be trained coordinators of "Global Responsible" Label, who will be in charge with the administration and assessment of the institutions in connection with their application for certification. Throughout the project, the partners will make a research upon their national curriculum in secondary schools and identify the gaps and weak points in connection with GRE. Based on their findings, the partners will develop an additional curriculum (learning objectives) supplying the gaps identified. Furthermore, the partners will develop a methods-box covering various areas in GRE and sustaining the learning objectives established through the additional curriculum. The methods will be tested on a total number of at least 350 pupils and young people in the partners' countries. An international ToT in GRE will be organized with the aim of forming an European Network of 28 trainers in GRE. Following, 14 national trainings in GRE will be organized in order to give teachers and youth leaders in the partners' countries tools to do GRE with pupils and young people. A total number of at least 350 teachers and youth workers are expected to be reached through the national trainings. A total number of at least 35 institutions are expected to be certified within the project period. Other at least 150 institutions at European level are expected to be certified within five years after the project completion. The project involves 10 partners from Denmark, the United Kingdom, Romania, Turkey, Italy Slovakia and Croatia. Among them there are two public bodies responsible for education at regional level, two social enterprises with expertise in non formal education, tow secondary schools, 2 NGOs, a partner with expertise in evaluation and a partner with expertise in PR.
The need of the Strategic partnership comes from the partners’ belief that education plays a central role in achieving headline targets of the Europe 2020 Strategy. In particular, the partners see a need of engaging each individual to contribute to the development of communities, countries and regions as well as of educational systems, to raise awareness of young citizens upon the necessity for global understanding, respect and responsibility. More specifically, the partners see a need of Global Responsible Education (GRE), both in formal and non-formal sectors and a need of making this concept attractive for educational providers. The objectives in the project were: - To develop a Certification System that mainstreams GRE in their practices - To establish at least 7 Global responsibility routines that institutions inquiring the certification system should incorporate in their organizational management. - A research study upon the national curriculum for secondary schools in the 7 participating countries and identify gaps related to GRE - To develop an additional curriculum with learning objectives related to GRE that covers the gaps identified. - To develop a methods-box in GRE – which ended up having 44 exercises connected to each of the Global Goals - To certify at least 35 institutions (schools and youth NGOs) across the partner countries. - To make a website, containing all the things mentioned above 10 organisations participated in the project: FN-forbundet (DK) - Non-governmental organisation, Espergærde Gymnasium og HF (DK) – General Education secondary level, Inter College ApS (DK) – Social Enterprise, HDUN (Croatia) - Non-governmental organisation, Inter College (UK) Social enterprise, Alba Iulia (Romania) – municipality, Stredna odborna skola (Slovakia) – Vocational school, BBBS (Bulgaria) Non-governmental organisation, KPDoNE (Turkey) – Regional Public Body, ADEPT (Romania) Non-governmental organisation. Five meetings with partners were planned and completed as expected. Between the meetings, each partner country made a study of their national curriculums, an additional curriculum based on the gaps found in the curriculum research were developed – and a list of needed global responsible routines was made. An additional curriculum was made with references to EU’s key competences for lifelong learning. A method box consisting of different kinds of teaching activities concerning global responsibility was developed. Once the methods were completed, they were tested on the target group in the participating countries and then adjusted, accordingly. A clarification of the self-assessment form and the criteria for this was made. Afterwards a Global Responsible Label and certificate were developed. A graphic design and logo was also made – and all of this, was gathered on the website made for the project http://globalresponsibility.eu/. Later on, trainings for national coordinators were held in the partner countries. The aim for these activities was to train coordinators from each partner country to be able to administrate the certification system and to get to know the method box. The Multiplier Events were arranged and completed in all the partner countries in order to disseminate the project – and schools and organisations started up registration to become certified. The method box is an open source – and does not require certification in order to use the material. The most important impact of this project is an awareness of global responsibility among the young generation. The target group will modernize their teaching and/or educational approach with innovative pedagogical approaches that respond to current challenges at local, national, European and global levels. In addition to this, the project will strengthen organisations, schools and civil society in their own daily routines and behavior. This will strengthen democracy, global awareness and international qualifications among the populations of Europe. As we chose to gather all of our outputs from the project on a website, the results of this project will have long-term benefits. The partner countries agreed voluntary to keep the website alive for at least 5 more years. At this time interested teachers and youth workers will have incorporated the material they find suitable for their subjects in their own resources. Furthermore, all of the partners have the method box and uses its content every time it is possible. The project is designed to impact mainly young people and pupils, in the age group 13-21 years, on a long-term perspective. The project reached a great number of young people while the material was tested in the different partner countries. The largest target group are the students whose teachers adopt and use the methods in their teaching in the future, and this will lead to new discussions and further interest in our world – and more new active global citizens.